DIY happiness

Summer memories: Seashell wind chime DIY project

Earlier this year, my boyfriend and I took a day trip to the beach of south Holland, which is just across the border from where we live (Antwerp). I collected shells from the shoreline, because I like to keep memento’s from our little trips and I like collecting seashells.

You can make loads of fun DIY projects with shells, and I was especially intrigued by an article I had read in Flow Magazine. If you’ve read my blog post about How to keep your creative ideas organised, you’ll remember that I have a page in my binder dedicated to this shell project.

It has been on my to do-list for quite some time, and I finally got around to making the wind chime with the shells I collected on the beach that day! I love how you can collect keepsakes from your trip and turn them into something super cute.

Supplies needed for this project:

Seashells from your trip (free)

A branch picked up from the park (free)

White paint and coloured paint + brushes

Yarn

A glue gun

First, start by washing the shells with soapy water to get rid of any smells. Let the shells dry. Apply a first layer of white paint (I ended up needing two layers).

Next, paint some colourful motives on the shells. I did something really fun: I hand painted the digits of my first romantic date with my boyfriend on three different shells with the intention of hanging them next to each other.

The third step: once the shells have completely dried, lay them out into a design of your choice. Do this beforehand, because it will be easier to use your glue gun if you’ve already established your pattern.

Cut some yarn into pieces of the same length and start glueing the yarn to the shells with your glue gun. I tried to puncture wholes into the shells with my goldsmithing drill, but it was too difficult and time-consuming, so I used a glue gun instead.